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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen will be sitting out the FP1 session at the 2025 Mexican GP with Red Bull Junior Team driver Arvid Lindblad replacing him. As part of the F1’s rules, each team must put a rookie in for two sessions per car, and as a result, Red Bull has decided to replace the Dutchman with Lindblad.
However, questions around why the Milton Keynes-based team has decided to replace the four-time champion at the Mexican GP have been raised. Let's have a detailed look at the reason behind the benching for the FP1 session.
The change in the rookie driver rule ahead of the 2025 season
Prior to the 2025 F1 season, each team was required to field a rookie driver in each of the cars once per year. However, going into the 2025 season, the FIA increased the requirement to two times per season for each car. As a result, the full-time drivers have to give up their seats twice every year for a rookie driver.
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The timing of Max Verstappen's benching for the swap with Arvid Lindblad for F1 practice
Max Verstappen was ruled out of the F1 championship contention by many going into the summer break as the Red Bull car was not competitive, and the Dutchman was over 100 points behind the championship leader, Oscar Piastri.
However, the new upgrades brought by the Milton Keynes-based outfit after the summer break, along with Laurent Mekies taking over as the Team Principal, transformed the car into a race-winning contender. In the last four races, Verstappen has won three and finished once on the podium, cutting the gap to the championship leader down to 40 points.
At this crucial stage, Red Bull decided to put Max Verstappen out for the FP1 session at Mexico, which is the fifth-to-last round of the 2025 season. However, there is a good reason for the same.
Max Verstappen's exceptional form around Mexico and the sprint calendar are key reasons behind the swap
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has been a happy hunting ground for Max Verstappen, who's won five of the nine races he's raced at the circuit. Since the 2022 regulations were announced, Verstappen has won two of the three races in Mexico. The Dutchman finished P6 at last year's race courtesy of the two 10-second penalties awarded to him while battling Lando Norris.
Hence, given Max’s form in Mexico, the Dutchman shouldn't require a lot of practice before getting into his rhythm at the circuit. The other crucial reason behind the remaining races in the 2025 calendar.
After last weekend's race at the US GP, only five races remain in the 2025 season. However, two of these are going to be Sprint weekends (Brazil and Qatar), where the drivers will only get one practice session compared to a regular weekend, where they get three. As a result, Mexico, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi remain the only three weekends where it would make sense to put the rookie driver in.
But the Abu Dhabi GP is the season finale, and if the title goes down to the wire (which it seemingly might), then Max Verstappen would not want to give up any session to give the McLarens any advantage. Las Vegas, on the other hand, is still a relatively new circuit on the calendar with unique racing conditions during the night, also pushing it out of contention for a rookie driver swap, leaving Mexico as the only safe option.
Ayumu Iwasa already filled in for Max Verstappen at the 2025 Bahrain GP FP1 session, meaning the Dutchman only had to give up his car once more for a practice session. Hence, Red Bull made the decision to put Arvid Lindblad in for the Dutchman at the Mexico GP FP1.
Max Verstappen is not the only one sitting out the FP1 session at Mexico
The timing of the Mexico City race and the remaining calendar is a factor that not only applies to Red Bull but to all the teams. As a result, nearly half the grid will sit out the FP1 session, including Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. Except for Sauber, all the teams are swapping one of their full-time drivers with a rookie.
Home hera Pato O'Ward will fill in for Lando Norris at the Mexico GP. Alex Dunne filled in for F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri at the Italian GP. However, the Australian would be required to give up his seat for FP1 once more this season, possibly at either Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi.
